Christopher R. DeCorse

Low-Fired Earthenwares in the African Diaspora: Problems and Prospects

Local earthenware associated with enslaved African populations in the Americas, variously called “Colono-Ware,” “Afro-Caribbean Ware.” “Yabbas,” and “Criollo ware,” has received considerable attention from researchers. What unifies this disparate group of ceramics is not method of manufacture, design and decoration, or even form and function but the association or potential association with African diaspora populations. The ceramics incorporate some skills and techniques possibly brought by African potters to the Americas, as well as skills reflecting European and Native American traditions, and local adaptations in form, function, and manufacture. Analogies linking African ceramic traditions to American industries have at times been employed uncritically and have relied on generalized characteristics to infer overly specific meanings. With particular reference to low-fired earthenwares from Jamaica, this paper examines the historical and cultural context of these ceramics and the methodological and theoretical problems faced in their interpretation.

Historical archaeology in sub-Saharan Africa—A review

Relatively few historical archaeology projects have been carried out in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet the area presents a wide variety of research potentialities from both historical and theoretical viewpoints. Various definitions of historical archaeology and their application to Africa are examined, and the research undertaken thus far is reviewed. Previous work has largely focused on the larger fortified sites of 15th to 19th century European construction. On the East African Coast archaeolological fieldwork has also been carried out on Islamic sites where limited documentation is provided by Arabic writings. Directions for future research are discussed, including the possibility of examining the socio—cultural background of the African diaspora. Particular stress is placed on the necessity for intensified regional studies, cognizant of the contacts between well documented historical sites and the villages and resource areas with which they interacted.

TOWARD A SYSTEMATIC BEAD DESCRIPTION SYSTEM: A VIEW FROM THE LOWER FALEMME, SENEGAL

This study examines a glass bead assemblage from surveyed and excavated portions of the Falemme (Senegal) to present a classification system for the analysis of archaeological beads in Africa and beyond. Although bead classification poses special problems, it is argued that such analysis is worthwhile, as beads may shed light on the dynamics of production, exchange and consumption in the past, on processes of culture change and continuity, and, most particularly, on chronological assessment. Focusing on the latter, the typological analysis helped us extract diagnostic information from the 474 mainly European-made beads, which complements and nicely supports the temporal sequence derived from imported trade materials and local ceramics.

Prelude to the Atlantic trade: New perspectives on southern Ghana's pre-Atlantic history (800-1500)

The Ghanaian forest was well settled by agricultural communities prior to the opening of the Atlantic trade in the late fifteenth century. The most prominent of these settlements were earthworks sites, construction of which began in the first millennium ce and continued until their abrupt abandonment prior to the mid-fifteenth century. In this article, previous archaeological data are evaluated in light of current research to provide a plausible alternative hypothesis for the history of the Akan, placing that history in a much broader and deeper context.

West African Iron Age

RELATIVE TIME PERIOD: Follows the West African Neolithic tradition and precedes the West Africa Regional Development tradition. It must be emphasized that the term Iron Age, as well as the preceding and following periods, subsumes a tremendous range of variation. Such partitions do not represent well-defined chronological or culture historical divisions in West Africa. Indeed, the defining characteristic of this period—indigenous metallurgy—may not have played a significant role in some of the cultures considered during the entire time represented. As a whole, West Africa is poorly known archaeologically, particularly the Liberian, Sierra Leone, and Guinea coasts and hinterland. The term Iron Age is hence used very guardedly to indicate a general period of technological development, although one that is not universal or contemporary throughout the whole of West Africa.

Sierra Leone in the Atlantic World: concepts, contours, and exchange

Underscoring the unique potential that this region has for the study of the African Diaspora, this article situates the slave trading fort on Bunce Island and the Sierra Leone hinterland in the wider context of Atlantic history. In doing so it underscores the need to view Atlantic exchanges within their specific cultural and historical settings, and to place them within the maritime Atlantic and capitalist world economies. The article further considers the conceptual and methodological challenges faced in tracing African continuities in the Diaspora and in evaluating change in African societies during the period of the Atlantic trade. Bunce Islands history and the trade relations represented present one of the better opportunities to delineate the paths through which enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas. This article examines the specific connections between this portion of Upper Guinea Coast and South Carolina. The importance of an interdisciplinary approach incorporating archaeological data in both the reconstruction of Africas past and in providing a context for enslaved Africans in the Diaspora is underscored.

West Africa Regional Development

RELATIVE TIME PERIOD: Follows the West African Iron Age tradition and precedes the historic period. As in the case of the preceding period, the societies, subsistence strategies, and specific cultural historical developments represented are extremely varied, and the period does not represent well-defined chronological or cultural historical divisions. Observations for many portions of the region are limited by the paucity of archaeological data available, and many of the developments discussed must, therefore, be regarded as preliminary. The first documentary records for the region date to this period, including Arabic sources for the western sahel dating to 1150 B.P. In many instances, however, documentary and oral accounts are quite limited until the last two centuries B.P. Archaeology thus remains the primary source of information for the reconstruction of the past. Traditionally, the emergence of the Arab-dominated trans-Saharan trade and the spread of Islam have been seen as catalysts for urbanization, technological innovation, and sociopolitical complexity. Such models, however, mask the variable and complex patterns of local developments and responses. Ongoing research underscores the need for other theoretical interpretations and consideration of other models of complexity.